The Criminal Investigation Department has arrested two members of an organised fraud syndicate, including its ringleader, for scamming about Tk聽5 crore from people through fake foreign investment offers on the online communication platform Telegram.
According to a CID press release issued on Friday, a team of CID鈥檚 Dhaka Metro-East division, with technical assistance from its legal interception cell unit, conducted a drive early November 6 in Panchagarh and arrested the syndicate鈥檚 ringleader Fardin Ahmed alias Protik, 25, from Dhakkamara area.
Acting on Fardin鈥檚 information, the same team聽 later arrested his associate Sagar Ahmed, 24, from Ranisankail area in Thakurgaon, the release said.
The investigators primarily found that the group had long been running a Telegram group titled 鈥楩oreign Investment Platform鈥� to cheat people with fake promises of high profits in a short period of time.
Once a person joined the Telegram group, other members of the group 鈥� actually members of the syndicate 鈥攑osted fabricated testimonials claiming large returns to trick the person. The gang used multiple bank and mobile financial service accounts, often opened under third-party names, to collect and launder the money.
Many people, who were scammed, have already lost everything by investing money there, said CID, adding that some owners of those accounts often found themselves accused in the scam without even knowing it.
Two cases regarding the scam were filed with the Paltan police station in September. The cases were later transferred to the CID for investigation.
Investigators found that Fardin controlled over 30 bank and MFS accounts and several SIM cards used for fraudulent transactions. His associate Sagar operated a seven-member group named 鈥楢lexa Wick鈥� with a fake Telegram ID titled 鈥楻io鈥�.
To convert the illegal earnings into cash, Fardin used to buy vehicles through bank transfers and sell them below market prices within a month. Later he withdrew the money.
During preliminary interrogation, Fardin admitted his involvement in the scam, claimed the CID, adding that it had sought a 10-day remand for both suspects to identify the other members and trace the money.
The CID said that more drives were under way to arrest the remaining members of the fraud ring.
